70.228 BF1908Dark Bordered Beauty Epione vespertaria

(Linnaeus, 1767)

[Synonyms: paralellaria]

Wingspan 25-30 mm.

An extremely local species, occurring in only a couple of locations each in Scotland and northern England, the preferred habitat being damp woodland and wet heathland.

It resembles the commoner Bordered Beauty (E. repandaria), but differs as detailed by the Latin name paralellaria, describing the purplish border to the forewing, which tapers to a point in repandaria.

The adults are sexually dimorphic, with the females darker than the males, and the moths are on the wing in July and August.

The main foodplant is creeping willow (Salix repens).

More images

About UKMoths

UKMoths is built, run and maintained by Ian Kimber, with thanks to the many kind contributors who provide photos and information.

Get Connected

The UKMoths Facebook Page is a great place to post your identification queries. More often than not you'll get a positive ID on most photos fairly quickly.

Quick Search

Looking for a specific moth species? Enter just part of the name below.